Intel will deliver new context-aware user experiences, which will change the nature of how consumers interact with information devices, says the company.
Speaking at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) this morning, Intel VP Justin Rattner said the future of computing lies in rich, context-driven user experiences.
“With computing devices having increased processing power, improved connectivity and innovative sensing capabilities, Intel researchers are focused on delivering new 'context-aware' user experiences,” says the company.
It explains that context-aware devices will anticipate a user's needs, advise them, and guide them through their day in a manner more akin to a personal assistant than a traditional computer.
“Context-aware computing, via a combination of hard and soft sensors, will open up new opportunities for developers to create the next generation of products on Intel platforms.”
No science fiction
Rattner said “context-aware” computing is fundamentally different from the simple kinds of sensor-based applications available today.
“My GPS co-ordinates and compass heading don't tell my smartphone all that much about me. Imagine a device that uses a variety of sensory modalities to determine what you are doing at an instant, from being asleep in your bed to being out for a run with a friend.”
He explains that by combing hard sensor information, such as where a person is and the conditions around them, combined with soft sensors such as their calendar, social network and past preferences, future devices will constantly learn about who a person is, how they live, work and play. As devices learn about a user's life, they can begin to anticipate their needs.
“Imagine your PC advising you leave the house 10 minutes early for your next appointment due to a traffic tie-up on your way to work. Consider a 'context-aware' remote control that instantly determines who is holding it and automatically selects the smart-TV preferences for that person. All this may sound like science fiction, but this is the promise of 'context-aware' computing and we can already demonstrate much of it in the lab.”
Safety first
Tim Jarrell, VP and publisher of Fodor's Travel, presented Fodor's experimental Personal Vacation Assistant (PVA) running on a mobile Internet device and designed in conjunction with Intel, as an example of context-aware computing.
“The PVA uses a variety of context sources, such as personal travel preferences, previous activities, current location and calendar information to provide real-time travel recommendations to vacationers. The PVA can even generate, at the user's request, a travel blog with annotated photos and videos visited during the trip,” says Intel.
Rattner also presented the Socially-Enabled Services research project that provides the ability to sense and understand real-time activities and, if a user chooses to do so, share that knowledge “live and direct” to networked friends and family through animated avatars on whatever screen - be it PC, smartphone, or TV - is available.
“While we're developing all of these new ways of sensing, gathering and sharing contextual data, we are even more focused on ensuring privacy and security as billions of devices get connected and become much smarter,” Rattner said.
“Our vision is to enable devices to generate and use contextual information for a greatly enhanced user experience while ensuring the safety and privacy of an individual's personal information. Underlying this new level of security are several forthcoming Intel hardware-enabled techniques that dramatically improve the ability of all computing devices to defend against possible attacks.”
Positive context
Designing compelling user experiences requires deep knowledge and understanding of consumer behaviour and preferences, says Intel.
Genevieve Bell, Intel fellow and head of Interaction and Experience Research at Intel Labs, spoke about the fundamentals of experience design.
“Our goal is to develop experiences that people love. Randomly applying context can easily result in a negative experience. The key to making context work is people-centred design, and for us, that begins with working out what people love.”
Rattner also presented a human brain-computer interface as the ultimate example of sensing. Through the Human Brain project, Intel's aim is to enable people some day to use their thoughts to directly interact with computers and mobile devices.
In a joint project with Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, Intel Labs is investigating what can be inferred about a person's cognitive state from their pattern of neural activity, says the company.
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